


Pick up the phone

by galacticpie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Adam (Voltron) Lives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Disaster Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drunk Texting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Happy Ending, Help, How Do I Tag, Humor, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), Lesbian Romelle (Voltron), Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Multi, My First AO3 Post, Past Drug Addiction, Pining, Recreational Drug Use, Sad, Tags Are Hard, Texting, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-04-12 07:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19127344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticpie/pseuds/galacticpie
Summary: Keith is well.. the best way to put it is.. troubled. Hes got alot of baggage from his past and is trying his best to fix whats left of his life, Making it very clear to Pidge, Adam and Shiro that he is not looking for a relationship, at all, whatsoever, and they promise to hold him to it.. Thats until he gets a call from an unknown number..





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kinda a Introduction, and next chapter will be a little Lance introduction.   
> I know this is very short, but chapters after this will grow longer  
> (More notes at the end)

Now, before you jump to conclusions, Keith is not broken. Not exactly. Hes just been through some shit, and dealt with it completely wrong.

Like… really _really _wrong. But at least hes trying to fix it , or at least that’s what Shiro tells him.__

__Hes got a decent apartment (that is definitely not pretty much empty by the way), a new job and is living in a brand new city, what more could a 28 year old guy ask for? At least that’s what he tells himself._ _

__And yea, sure, hes made mistakes, but hasn’t everyone? Even though his mistakes are evidently worse.. He can still come back from it, right? At least that’s what Adam tells him.  
But he is not broken._ _

__Keith’s attention was shot from his mind as he hears the squeaking press of the bus stopping in front of him and the stained crusty doors creaking open to reveal a smiling older lady with wrinkles around her eyes and rose dusting her cheeks._ _

__The bus itself, was pretty empty. Only maybe 8 people on it, It was pretty early, and his stop was one of the first, and sadly one of the farthest away from his destination._ _

__He settled into a seat in the very back, deciding to sit near the window so he can hide himself in the corner, He wasn’t paranoid or anything, he just had a small irrational fear that anyone from his past could have followed him here, or also moved here, or just happened to get on the same bus and- okay, maybe Keith is a little paranoid._ _

__His bus quickly filled with other people ranging in age, some with their skin barely holding to their brittle bones and some young and filled with so much energy and hope in their eye it almost made Keith feel a little more awake, Which he desperately needed at such early hours, he had to be to work extremely early today for training, which meant waking up at four am to prepare for the hour long bus ride._ _

__Once Keith arrived just a block away from the building he was heading to and let off the bus with another loud whistling _shlump _and a brittle creaking of metal he already felt the anxiety welling in him, pooling deep in his gut.___ _

____What if he ended up seeing someone he knew there? Okay, ‘Just calm down, Nobody will be there Keith, nobody will bother you anymore' Shiro's words echoed in his head, and with an unsteady breath and a weight in his legs that felt like a million bricks, he quickly started walking to work, putting the hood up on his coat for extra measure._ _ _ _

____The second he entered the building the uneasiness in his gut grew at least ten times heavier, Thanks to Shiro, Keith got a job as a mechanic at a small, local car garage that he figured would be a pretty simple job for him to get on his feet and God was Keith thankful, he would have died having to work in some stocky uniform or even worse, a desk job. Keith would honest to God rather blow his actual brains out than work a desk job, ever, in his entire life._ _ _ _

____“Ah, Keith. Shiro has told me so much about you” The man, who Keith presumed owned the garage. He seemed a bit familiar, maybe he saw him at a family dinner? He honestly can’t remember a lot from the past couple years._ _ _ _

____“Oh. Did he? Cool.” Keith said a bit hushed, his gut felt like fish were swimming through it and his eyes constantly shot around, watching his surroundings. He doesn’t get out much._ _ _ _

____“I’m glad to have you here, Shiro says you’ve been working on cars since you were young, eh?” Said the unnamed man that Keith assumed he was probably supposed to remember the name of. Oh well, it will come up._ _ _ _

____“Mm, Yea. My uh, My dad taught me.” Keith said, His eyes darting to his musty boots the second the word dad left his lips. Keith’s dad, Heath, was a amazing father. Emphasis on was, He died when Keith was 14. Yep, 14 years ago, though the thought of him still burns in his chest. Keith’s father’s death was not only the most difficult thing in his entire life, it was the start of everything shooting downhill._ _ _ _

_____“Ah, Yes, Your father. Shiro also told me about that..” The main spoke in a sudden change of tone that Keith had gotten used to, the pity tone, it was all he heard anymore. Everyone looked at him like a little broken puppy that got left in the street.  
Keith is _not _broken.  
“Anyways!” The man, god Keith needed to learn his name, his damn nametag was barely readable anymore, he was probably known enough in this small town he didn’t really need it anymore.___ _ _

______“Lets get you used to our equipment, aye?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______After the way too long workday, and way too long bus ride, Keith sat in his way too empty apartment scrolling on his phone, getting a ping from a text message_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______[Shiro : How did your first day go?]_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______He could hear it through the text message, the worried pitiful tone and the frowned creases expression with hopeful eyes, one that screamed ‘you poor thing'. It made him feel like a little kid just gotten back from their first day of school._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______[Keith : Fine. Like the place. Boss is cool.]_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Keith said, and there was truth to it, The garage provided a nice distraction from his thoughts and worries, and his boss, who he now knows is named Joe Harper, was pretty cool. But he knew about Keith’s past and constantly checked in on him, dropping little ‘You doin okay, son?’ s and ‘If you need to feel free to take a break' And it all seethed with pity, pity pity pity its all Keith ever got from people. He doesn’t need their goddamn pity._ _ _ _ _ _

______[Shiro : Good. Glad you’re doing okay, let me know if you need to talk.]_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Fucking pity._ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds out something surprising about his long time crush Allura, and calls back a girl he plans on picking up a date with, or atleast he thinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know its a very common trope that 'oh lance is a slutty douche' But I promise i PROMISE it helps the story and he's so much more than that ×

Fire. Fire was everywhere right now, burning the planets buildings to the ground, foreign looking alien children ran and hid, but Lance's focus was on the galran sentries that came at him from many directions, sending sharp laser-like bullets directly through their heads. 

Lance swept his foot under the legs of one sentry as he shot is rifle at one behind it, small bolts of sweat dripped out of his now soaked hair and down his face, a fizzling sound rang through his ears that he recognized as a bad connection through his comm  
"Lan..c-e..?" Fizzed through in Hunks voice, buzzing around his head like a fly or a mosquito, like on the beach back home in Cuba that he and his siblings would slap at as a child  
"Im here. What?" Lance replied as he shot out at another sentry coming towards him, a purple shower of sparks fell from where he hit  
"Lance? Lance!!" Came through more clear this time, more urgent, suddenly the entire planet began to shake, or no, no Lance was the only thing shaking actually. Why does it smell like.. stale coffee?   
"Lance!" Hunk shouted, Lance shot up from his folded over position on the break table with a loud pop in his neck and a moist feeling on his cheek  
"Oh shit! Hunk! Fuck what time is it?" Lance said quickly coming to a stand and running his hands over his clothes, taking in the dusty air that reeked of cheap air freshener and stale coffee grounds  
"You're fine, its only a quarter to 3. But your breaks about up so.." Hunk said with a chuckle as he made his way to the employee vending machine  
"Sorry man, had a hard time sleeping last night" Lance lied, threading his hand through his hair to neaten it  
"Uh-huh. So hard drinking it up at Balmera huh?" Hunk laughed out as he fed the machine a crumpled 5 dollar bill, a buzz rang out from the machine denying it and a frustrated sigh left Hunks lips  
"Hey man, its not easy fending off all the beautiful people that want a piece of this" He said, dramatically gesturing to himself, only earning a shake of the head from Hunk  
“Speaking of Balmera, Have you spoken to that Shay girl you met there a few weeks ago?” Lance asked as he sipped his water and tied his apron with one hand, a little talent he had learned, it originally derived from his ability to unclasp or untie a bra one handed, but hey, he found a way to work it into his everyday life   
“Uhm, yeah I am uh, actually meeting her tonight. We’ve been texting.” Hunk said sheepishly, turning around and avoiding eye contact and was that a blush dusting over his cheeks?  
“Awww you two are adorable. Well back to my shift I go, Hasta luego!” Lance said with a finger salute to Hunk as he hurried out the door and to the work counter of the small coffee shop, Altea, owned by the father of a good friend of his, Allura Altea.   
“Lance, your apron is on inside out. Again.” Speak of the devil, or in this case, the actual angel sent down by the Gods. The most beautiful woman probably to ever exist and that Lance somehow just cannot seem to charm.   
“Oh shit, er- crap? Dang? Oops? Ugh.. Sorry Allura" Lance said, his own rambling causing his headache to send a sharp pain into his forehead and his body to flinch along with it  
“Lance, are you hungover?” Allura said, an eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip, a empty coffee pot in her other “And don’t lie to me" She added with a scolding tone  
“How could I ever lie to you, Princess?” Lance said with a wink, untying his apron and flipping it over to show the bright V shaped logo to the world, as well as a small rectangle with Lance written in cursive embroidery thread  
“Mhm. I swear your lucky I haven’t fired you yet" She said, making a ‘tsk tsk' click with her tongue as she prepared the machine to be ran for a fresh pot of coffee, Lance set off to take the order of a particular pretty girl, she had long blonde hair set in a crown of braids across her head, small blue flowers woven into it, matching the flower detailing on her pink flowing dress  
“Well, hello gorgeo-" Lance started, being oh so rudely interrupted “Romelle! I didn’t know you were coming in today!” Allura said happily as she rushed from behind the counter to hug the girl now named as Romelle  
“Oh, Lance, This is my girlfriend Romelle, I don’t believe you’ve met" She said with that signature beautiful Allura smile, God could Lance get lost in a smile like that, lost in a lot of things involving th- wait. Girlfriend? Did Allura just say  
“Girlfriend? Wait- You have a? When? Your?” Lance spluttered hopelessly, THIS is why Allura was numb to every passing comment and flirting look, why hadn’t she said anything? Is she even into guys? God if Lance had known she had a girlfriend he wouldn’t had pursued her so hard, he may be pretty low when it comes to his romantic endeavors but he would never go after somebody taken  
“Yes, I’m a lesbian Lance, I figured you knew”’ Allura explained, giving the blonde a peck to her rose cheeks and wandering behind the counter to ring up the customer Lance was probably meant to be helping  
“Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have been so- y'know, I- Okay now I feel like a douche" Lance said,’ turning to the blonde   
“Well uh, Nice to meet you Romelle, Sorry for trying to get into your apparently gay girlfriends pants every day" Lance said extending a hand over the counter to Romelle, who took it gladly with a smile  
“No harm, I actually found it quite funny" She chuckles, her eyes crinkling with her smile and her blush deepening with the joy in her voice  
“Lance must you always be so crude? Can’t you just say ‘flirting' like a normal person?” Allura scolded as she fed the cash into the compartments of the register drawer   
“Don’t you know me at all, Princess?”

Lance slid the jagged metal key into the door lock, the lock opening with a click. Lance had gotten off later in the afternoon and Hunk was now on his way to meet Shay. Lance opened the door and took in the smell of crisp febreeze air freshener and the remnants of yesterdays dinner, Kopai, A samoan dish Hunk prepared, he was such an amazing cook Lance would honest to God sell his soul if it meant he could always eat Hunks food. As Lance set his things down on the small table near the entrance he noticed Pidge, He and Hunks other roommate in the small house huddled in a wooly blanket in the corner of their musty couch, they got it at a thrift shop for literally 10 dollars and are convinced somebodies died on it, judging by the various stained on the deep green fabric, but hey a couch is a couch right?  
“Well hello to you too Pidgeon, I too have missed you oh so very much! What’s that? You think I look amazing? Thank you! I agree!” Lance said overly dramatically, earning a flat glare from Pidge  
“I didn’t hear you come in, I’m working on something” They said, rustling their laptop to show that they were in fact, busy. “Oh by the way, I ate your leftovers”   
“You what?! I swear ill kill you, you child!” Lance said, holding a threatening finger in their face and wagging it around, Pidge swatting at his hand with a hidden smirk on their face  
Lance found his way into the kitchen, he was starving, been too long since hes eaten more than something from a vending machine.  
As he found his place in front of the refrigerator he stopped in his tracks noticing a note magnetized by a small heart magnet to the front corner of the door, a girls number with a heart next to it in a pretty script handwriting. He must have gotten a number from a girl yesterday, what was her name… Nora? Nina? Something like that. Eh, he had plenty of ways of finding out a girls lost name without sounding like a total douche. He fished his phone from his pocket a tapped the number in, might as well give her a call, maybe they could meet up for drinks and.. dessert tonight. Lance held the screen to his face, the small buzzing jingle vibrating in his ear, Was she not going to answer? It had been ringing for awhile.. 

“H-Hello?..”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith makes an absolute mess of things,  
> meets a certain cuban boy through a aggravating accident and Shiro has a meltdown

Keith carded through the mostly empty refrigerator shelves, looking for something to eat knowing he will just end up not having dinner anyways but he has to at least say he tried. He really should have gotten groceries by now, he knew that, but he hated leaving his apartment, he hated the thick nauseating anxiety that filled him every step he took, he had only left a handful of times, either to go to Shiro's house or the two times he’d been to work. The shop had closed today for some maintenance as the lights were causing trouble, so Keith had sat in his apartment, alone, without more than some crappy stale junkfood, and a bottle of water. Healthy, huh? He shook away his thoughts and went to fill his glass in the sink

Bzz… Bzz….. Crash 

His phone awakened with a buzz and began ringing, and the glass Keith held went straight to the floor, shattering into hundreds of sharp pieces 

Unknown

Who was calling him? The only people who even knew he existed in this town were Shiro, Adam, and his boss. That means.. Its cant be him right? How would he have even gotten this number, It was brand new, only three people knew it for God’s sake! It has to be him? Maybe it’s a telemarketer.. Do telemarketers even call cellphones? What would Keith even say if it was him? Should he answer? Every thought in his head pounded at him at once as his hand hovered over the screen, without thinking he snatched the phone from its place, the vibration feeling like electricity through his hand as he swiped the green phone symbol to the side and shakily held the device to his head  
“H-Hello?..” Keith said quietly into the microphone of his device, his hands trembling ridiculously  
“Hey! Its me, Lance! From the club?” Said the voice.. or.. Lance apparently. Was this a trick? No okay stop being paranoid, its just a wrong number. He wouldn’t go through these mind games, at least not over a phone, or at least Keith hoped he wouldn’t, what if-  
“Hello?” Said the voice, Startling a gasp out of Keith and stopping his own mind from rambling  
“Wrong Number. Sorry.” Keith said in the steadiest voice he could muster, His hands finally calming slightly and his hearts pace becoming much more normal  
“Oh okay, Have a nice one" Said ‘Lance' Apparently, and with a click the line was disconnected and the phone went silent, Keith let out a shaking breath and looked down at the shattered glass the littered the linoleum floors, he looked around for something to clean it up with before again being startled by his phone ringing, the same number now displayed across the screen with matching red and green symbols underneath

“Still me. Wrong number, Still.” Keith said into the phone, now a bit aggravated, how do you dial the wrong number twice in a row? Or maybe a girl gave this guy a fake.. People do that? Right?  
“Damn really? I guess she gave me a phony- heh, get it? Phone-y?” Lance was chuckling to himself, regaining his composure “Sorry to bother you then, again have a nice evening” He said, only earning a dull ‘yep. You too' from Keith before the line was yet again terminated, only shortly because it yet again came back with a flash on the screen and a gradually annoying buzzing, God does this guy have a problem? The phone was ringing again and dammit Keith’s temper is really acting up now because what the hell dude?

“Yes?” Keith said, aggravation visible in his voice as he leaned a hand on the counter  
“Why do people do that? Give fake numbers?” Lance asked through the phone with confusion riddled through his voice  
“Well, I’m starting to see why" Keith said trying to give the guy a hint to leave him the hell alone  
“Seriously, they chat you up and act allll into you, all touching your arm and smiles and then give you a fake! Like what’s up with that? Why act interested if you aren’t?” He spoke with such a genuine tone, it was in a way kind of nice, not hearing worry or pity or…. hate in somebodies voice, it had been forever since he had actually heard a genuine voice  
“I don’t know.. I don’t get fake numbers from people. I guess she was trying to be nice, or not embarrass you?” Keith explained, stepping around the shards to go sit on his couch, just about the only furniture he had. He slept on it, ate on it, pretty much lived on it.  
“Oh ho ho, mister hot shot doesn’t get fake numbers, eh?” Lance said amused, he seemed to add so much flare to his words unlike Keith’s dull, flat voice. Keith was always told he was no fun, a bore, always rui- God he could hear Shiro’s voice saying ‘that stuff isn’t true, he just said that to hurt you’ in his head now  
“I just mean, I don’t get numbers in general.” Keith said tiredly and with a twinge of pain from a memory of the first time he did take a number.. lets just say he woke up the next morning riddled in black and blue.  
“Don’t sell yourself short, I bet you’re a catch” And.. was Lance flirting? No, how could he be flirting? He hadn’t even met Keith. There was just something about his voice..

 

 

Keith honestly doesn’t know how it happened, or why it happened, but they ended up talking for almost three hours. About what even Keith couldn’t tell you, just about the stupidest of things, Keith learnt all about Lances siblings and family, about how his parents moved to america before he was born, about his roomates and his job, and Keith told.. some. He was a listener in the conversation, it was good that Lance was a talker, and it.. it was the first time Keith really felt happy in too long, the first time he genuinely laughed, and not because of.. other influences. The call only ended because Lance’s roommate, Named Hunk, had gotten home from a date and Lance wanted to talk to him about it and Keith was getting a call from somebody else, who he now found was Shiro

“Hey, Shiro" Keith said, only now remembering Shiro said he would stop by tonight, to check up on him of course  
“I’m outside your building, I tried texting, you didn’t answer? Are you okay Keith? What happen-"  
“Shiro, I’m fine. I was.. on the phone. Sorry. Ill buzz you in" Keith said before hanging up and quickly getting up to buzz up his brother, and.. shit he forgot to clean up the glass he dropped, well its too late to get now  
Keith carded a hand through his long coal dusted hair, the unlock door quickly opened in an overly rushed manner, and Shiro appeared in the doorway with a bag of food, Keith would thank him for that, one less reason for him to leave

“Keith! Oh my god I was worried- is that broken glass?! Oh God Keith what happened? It okay-" Shiro rambled as he practically threw the bag on the countertop and yanked Keith into a bone crushing hug.. or more of a ‘holding on for dear life' grab  
“Sh- Shiro.. I’m fine. Promise" Keith said, he hated how he worried his brother so much, hated to cause him such stress, but he did have to admit it was, well.. sort of annoying how Keith couldn’t even miss a few texts without Shiro assuming he’s had a meltdown or relapsed. Keith pulled himself out of his brothers grasp to meet a creased and worried Shiro face to face

“Keith what happened, you didn’t answer my texts and the glass-"  
“Takashi" Keith cut him off “I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you, I was on a phone call I didn’t see your texts, and I just dropped a glass on accident.” Keith explained, noting the tension visibly leaving his brothers shoulders  
“Oh thank God.. Wait, on the phone? With who? Please don’t tell me you’re talking to D-" Shiro again started rambling with nerves vibrating through every word  
“No. I- I wouldn’t talk to him, I’m not stupid.” Keith stopped to take a breath “It was.. Nobody, really. A wrong number” Keith let a small smirk grace his face and a faint chuckle bubble from within his chest  
“I feel like there’s more to that story" Shiro said, finally becoming his normal aloof self within his posture and tone, and altogether being in general  
“Oh, I brought you some food, judging by the lack of a single dish in your sink I’m assuming you haven’t eaten" He said as he rifled through the blank brown paper bag for whatever he brought this time  
“Hey, maybe I just washed it and put it in the cabinet!” Keith defended, grabbing a towel, the best thing he had to clean up the glass and swept it into a small pile to pick up and throw away  
“Keith, buddy, pal, little bro, I’ve known you since you were five. Not once have you washed a dish without being told to” Shiro let out a laugh as he remembered all the fights him and their parents had, Keith just shook his head and set the glass shard littered towel in the corner, he’ll get to it.. eventually. The thought of why he had even dropped the glass now seemed funny, and another small smile graced his lips, why Keith felt so.. comfortable talking to this ‘Lance' was. In honesty, they didn’t know each other at all, Lance knew nothing of who Keith was or all the baggage he carried with him, and for all Keith knows Lance could be a axe murderer, but it was nice talking to somebody who didn’t know, didn’t know how much Keith had been through, didn’t get treated like a broken soul that needed so much help. 

 

Keith is not broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clear it up  
> Krolia Shirogane  
> Heath Kogane
> 
> Heath and Krolia met when Keith was 5 and Shiro was 13, and got married a year later. Keith and Shiro consider themselves brothers and ignore the fact they arnt by blood  
> Keith never met his birth mother, and Shiros biological father left him and his mother for a new family when Shiro was 7 and has not had any contact with Shiro since. Currently Keith is 28 and Shiro is 36. Ok and goodnight im sorry my chapters are sO short ehehjeje

**Author's Note:**

> So!! This is.. my first fic on Ao3! I uh, I dont how the fuck to use this website but lets see. Welp, i know this plot is kinda shitty but its subtly inspired by the sitcom Mom (Anna farris and Allison Janney) with Bonnie and Adams relationship.


End file.
